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Legacy of a Dying World #1
The Crucible
From the ashes of a dying world, a god will rise.
As an out of shape nerd, Gabriel Rivera had more pressing issues than outlandish things like godhood: Evacuating the city, joining the military, and protecting his family. Simple right?
Everything changed when the PAC invaded.
When the grim fate of his world is revealed, Gabriel joins the Reclaimer Project to save his family. A lowly F ranker, he’s weaker than even the worst recruits. Good thing he’s too stubborn for his own good.
Through blood and sweat Gabriel aims to grow stronger and rise above the rest.
Deadly traps lurk around every corner, mysterious factions move in the shadows, and dormant powers within him manifest in wild and dangerous ways.
Battered, bruised, and beaten, Gabriel refuses to stay down. For only in the fires of The Crucible are legends forged.
As an out of shape nerd, Gabriel Rivera had more pressing issues than outlandish things like godhood: Evacuating the city, joining the military, and protecting his family. Simple right?
Everything changed when the PAC invaded.
When the grim fate of his world is revealed, Gabriel joins the Reclaimer Project to save his family. A lowly F ranker, he’s weaker than even the worst recruits. Good thing he’s too stubborn for his own good.
Through blood and sweat Gabriel aims to grow stronger and rise above the rest.
Deadly traps lurk around every corner, mysterious factions move in the shadows, and dormant powers within him manifest in wild and dangerous ways.
Battered, bruised, and beaten, Gabriel refuses to stay down. For only in the fires of The Crucible are legends forged.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
688 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2022
576 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 20, 2021
I picked this up while looking for new Military sci-fi, and being disappointed by a few LItRPG novels.
Gabriel Rivera is barely surviving the class 10 hurricanes pummeling Florida. The war is one (Pan Asia Coalition or PAC) vs the United States + Australia + Japan. It's not going well, and is also very reminiscent of the wars in 1984 by George Orwell.
Because Gabriel is the son of a Air Force pilot and a CIA spook, he's selected for a special program. The world is undergoing it's dying throes, and an organization plans to send a thousand people up to a space station and put them in cryo for a hundred years before they come back down to the Earth to reclaim it.
Pretty good premise, right? I thought so too.
The problem is that Gabriel -- who is massively overweight becomes the focus of the story. Sure, I get you need to pick a protagonist, but Gabriel is alternately going through a pity party and telling the grandson of one of the program's leader how he's going to overtake him.
Over and over and over again.
It gets tiring. The backstory is far more interesting compared to what Gabriel is doing, but we only get small glimpses of that. The US is losing the battle, that's about it, so timelines are being moved up.
While all this is going on the Citadel (that's the name of the place they're training in) is doing its best to cut them down into little pieces. I get that this is sci-fi, but I couldn't picture an organization picking something like 200,000 people and then going out of their way (and they do) to kill off most of them in the most gruesome ways possible.
Meanwhile, there's some other weirdness going on where Gabriel's guilt is bringing the recruits he couldn't save back to life again, where they pester him endlessly.
I really wanted to like this book. It has a solid premise, but it gets lost in the pettiness of the fight between Gabriel and Alexander. And honestly, it's not a very good fight, which makes the time spent on it less enjoyable than was probably intended.
I love a good military sci-fi novel, but this one didn't do it for me.
3/5*
Gabriel Rivera is barely surviving the class 10 hurricanes pummeling Florida. The war is one (Pan Asia Coalition or PAC) vs the United States + Australia + Japan. It's not going well, and is also very reminiscent of the wars in 1984 by George Orwell.
Because Gabriel is the son of a Air Force pilot and a CIA spook, he's selected for a special program. The world is undergoing it's dying throes, and an organization plans to send a thousand people up to a space station and put them in cryo for a hundred years before they come back down to the Earth to reclaim it.
Pretty good premise, right? I thought so too.
The problem is that Gabriel -- who is massively overweight becomes the focus of the story. Sure, I get you need to pick a protagonist, but Gabriel is alternately going through a pity party and telling the grandson of one of the program's leader how he's going to overtake him.
Over and over and over again.
It gets tiring. The backstory is far more interesting compared to what Gabriel is doing, but we only get small glimpses of that. The US is losing the battle, that's about it, so timelines are being moved up.
While all this is going on the Citadel (that's the name of the place they're training in) is doing its best to cut them down into little pieces. I get that this is sci-fi, but I couldn't picture an organization picking something like 200,000 people and then going out of their way (and they do) to kill off most of them in the most gruesome ways possible.
Meanwhile, there's some other weirdness going on where Gabriel's guilt is bringing the recruits he couldn't save back to life again, where they pester him endlessly.
I really wanted to like this book. It has a solid premise, but it gets lost in the pettiness of the fight between Gabriel and Alexander. And honestly, it's not a very good fight, which makes the time spent on it less enjoyable than was probably intended.
I love a good military sci-fi novel, but this one didn't do it for me.
3/5*
May 8, 2022
More Maze Runner than Gamelit or LitRPG
Was drawn to the plot of real life leveling in a Post Apocalypse setting, but the book had more of a Maze Runner/Hunger Games feel.
Additionally the MC is angsty. A lot. Pining over the deaths of friends and resolving yourself on how to go on is good. Doing it 4 or 5 times before hitting the 75% percent mark paints your MC as indesisive as heck.
Also - this story plot is about picking the best people to populate a future Earth, and they prioritize people who can dodge arrows as more important than doctors/farmers/scientists?
The best doctors. The best scientists. The best shooters. The best pilots, are not the same people who are best at running in a desert and dodging arrows in a cave maze.
Was drawn to the plot of real life leveling in a Post Apocalypse setting, but the book had more of a Maze Runner/Hunger Games feel.
Additionally the MC is angsty. A lot. Pining over the deaths of friends and resolving yourself on how to go on is good. Doing it 4 or 5 times before hitting the 75% percent mark paints your MC as indesisive as heck.
Also - this story plot is about picking the best people to populate a future Earth, and they prioritize people who can dodge arrows as more important than doctors/farmers/scientists?
The best doctors. The best scientists. The best shooters. The best pilots, are not the same people who are best at running in a desert and dodging arrows in a cave maze.
February 16, 2021
I love all kinds of science fiction, and this book delivers. The feel and tone of the book reminds me of Starship Troopers, one of my favorites. Gabriel, the main character, is flawed, but that what makes him so relatable. I found the world-building and character development both engaging and satisfying. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next. Overall I found the book engaging, fun, and action-packed. If you want good dystopian science fiction with a lot of military action, this book is for you.
February 9, 2021
A military camp like no other
Gabriel , a young recruit is taken to an unbelievable journey. A military camp that he should learn to be resilient or die. This book is filled with action scenes and comradeship.
Gabriel , a young recruit is taken to an unbelievable journey. A military camp that he should learn to be resilient or die. This book is filled with action scenes and comradeship.
July 16, 2023
Alright, fellow fantasy readers, gather around! Today, I want to share my thoughts on "The Crucible," the first book in the Reclaimer series by Waldo Rodriguez. Now, as someone who usually delves into the realms of vampires, witches, werewolves and magical fantasy, I must admit, venturing into the world of epic military sci-fi progression was quite out of the comfort zone.
"The Crucible" kicks off with an enticing promise - from the ashes of a dying world, a god will rise. Well that drew me in. The MC, Gabriel, is not the cookie cutter typical hero-which I appreciate. He's out-of-shape, a nerd, and underdog who joins the military, to protect his loved ones-that's always a noble reason.
Now, let me be honest, it did start to drag for me slightly. I found myself easily distracted by every and anything. But the author was always able to drag me back with his descriptive action scenes and I truly saw them play out in my minds eye like a movie. While I'm more accustomed to swords and sorcery, the blend of sci-fi elements with a progression storyline in "The Crucible" I can see being a video game.
So, if you're a fan of epic sci-fi that combines military combat, progression, and a dash of underdog spirit, "The Crucible" is worth your time. If you are strictly a swords and sorcery person stay in your lane. I will be reading the next book because I am invested in what is going to happen with the characters.
"The Crucible" kicks off with an enticing promise - from the ashes of a dying world, a god will rise. Well that drew me in. The MC, Gabriel, is not the cookie cutter typical hero-which I appreciate. He's out-of-shape, a nerd, and underdog who joins the military, to protect his loved ones-that's always a noble reason.
Now, let me be honest, it did start to drag for me slightly. I found myself easily distracted by every and anything. But the author was always able to drag me back with his descriptive action scenes and I truly saw them play out in my minds eye like a movie. While I'm more accustomed to swords and sorcery, the blend of sci-fi elements with a progression storyline in "The Crucible" I can see being a video game.
So, if you're a fan of epic sci-fi that combines military combat, progression, and a dash of underdog spirit, "The Crucible" is worth your time. If you are strictly a swords and sorcery person stay in your lane. I will be reading the next book because I am invested in what is going to happen with the characters.
January 2, 2024
An interesting story and not at all what I was expecting.
There were many things I liked about the characters and story and many things that really irritated me. I have a soft spot for underdog tales. I love watching the weak and underestimated get strong and take on all those around them that try their hardest to put them down. This was not that story. It almost was but it didn't quite make the mark. Partly because the main character is hard to like. He has a good heart( most of the time) and tries his hardest to be the best (by being the worst) but his wish washy/unstable character formula is distracting. The amount of pages given over to his inner dilemma of leaving everyone behind in quest of power is frustrating. For a while there, I thought the author was going for an anti hero story, which I admit would have been awesome (taking a kind heart and making it filthy always makes for an entertaining story) but that was not the case here. Instead we got constant, ill timed and unearned reminders that our MC is suppose to have a bleeding heart even as he chooses to let everyone die for his beef with another recruit. Gabriel and Alexanders weird obsession with each other makes mediocre sense. It could have been something, could have been great even, if the characters had been flushed out more. In they end they didn't so much as foil each other as they did muddle together as a weak side plot.
Gabriel was every where as a character, and I get that he is suppose to be finding out what drives him and who he is but it felt like the author didn't know either. Like he had an idea where and how he wanted his MC to struggle but didn't know how or where to put the conflict. There were so many opportunities for Gabriel to grow and at moments it seemed he would, but then the author would back track time and time again.
Even though I was frustrated with the growth and decline of our MC I highly enjoyed the world of the Crucible. There are still some holes but it is clear that when writing, the author had a full picture of the world he was going to stage his story in. Its dark, its bleak and it isn't just mankind killing off the human race, but the planet its self. The war is believable and not just used as a plot pusher. The odd, old but new technology that the crucible uses adds to the tension and curiosity of the story. Where did it come from, why is everyone being so hush hush about it and what does it have to do with our MC? These questions are what convinced me to get the next book.
Don't get me wrong. This author is talented. I just feel his characters got away from him a bit. I'm looking forward to seeing his improvement through out the series.
There were many things I liked about the characters and story and many things that really irritated me. I have a soft spot for underdog tales. I love watching the weak and underestimated get strong and take on all those around them that try their hardest to put them down. This was not that story. It almost was but it didn't quite make the mark. Partly because the main character is hard to like. He has a good heart( most of the time) and tries his hardest to be the best (by being the worst) but his wish washy/unstable character formula is distracting. The amount of pages given over to his inner dilemma of leaving everyone behind in quest of power is frustrating. For a while there, I thought the author was going for an anti hero story, which I admit would have been awesome (taking a kind heart and making it filthy always makes for an entertaining story) but that was not the case here. Instead we got constant, ill timed and unearned reminders that our MC is suppose to have a bleeding heart even as he chooses to let everyone die for his beef with another recruit. Gabriel and Alexanders weird obsession with each other makes mediocre sense. It could have been something, could have been great even, if the characters had been flushed out more. In they end they didn't so much as foil each other as they did muddle together as a weak side plot.
Gabriel was every where as a character, and I get that he is suppose to be finding out what drives him and who he is but it felt like the author didn't know either. Like he had an idea where and how he wanted his MC to struggle but didn't know how or where to put the conflict. There were so many opportunities for Gabriel to grow and at moments it seemed he would, but then the author would back track time and time again.
Even though I was frustrated with the growth and decline of our MC I highly enjoyed the world of the Crucible. There are still some holes but it is clear that when writing, the author had a full picture of the world he was going to stage his story in. Its dark, its bleak and it isn't just mankind killing off the human race, but the planet its self. The war is believable and not just used as a plot pusher. The odd, old but new technology that the crucible uses adds to the tension and curiosity of the story. Where did it come from, why is everyone being so hush hush about it and what does it have to do with our MC? These questions are what convinced me to get the next book.
Don't get me wrong. This author is talented. I just feel his characters got away from him a bit. I'm looking forward to seeing his improvement through out the series.
August 16, 2022
A bit of a fun but grim mess but pulled me through.
There is a lot going on with this story and series and that is what makes it a fun mess. We have the blending of a few genres with future military sci-fi set in dark dieing dystopian world, along with a forced school/bootcamp ridiculously deadly competition and “training” facing a sci-fi/magical maze among other things. Last but not least a progression system is in place that feels a bit tacked on but still solid in its own way. Rodriguez's first story of the series is appropriate for older young adults as it does contain a good amount of foul language, actions, humor, some romance and gore.
I like a good long story and this one is a day or two read. The pacing is steady after a rough start pulling you through to keep you interested. The world building is strong at points letting the reader get the feel of a dying world set in the future. The mega weather that at times is magical it seems adds an interesting detail from the very start. The first few chapters throw a lot at the reader and there are plenty of questions that rise from it and through the story that the Author brings up through the work but leaves the reader wanting for answers.
I can see that Rodriguez has a plan and is not going to rush it. It makes the story all the more interesting and frustrating given how much is packed into. There is a lot of “cool” factor to go around but at the same time the scope of the story is a bit of a stumbling block but not one that would prevent me from rereading the story in the future. The time scale is a bit too short for what is done, as well as lack of gun discipline and sensible survival skills. The latter threw me off when the protagonist twirled a monder gun in his hand randomly after picking it up but what was worst is the survival advice of “cut cactus open to get water in the desert advice.” It's a good way to get a bad trip and poison/dehydrate yourself.
Rodriguez does write long scenes and sequences where the main protag is with a group of people side characters plus extras. Its not bad but he tends to forget about the extras for long periods of time a glance mentioning of them. When that are mentioned again, or for the first time in a long scent it feels out of place. Several times I was like where are they or where did they come from. All in all it might be a matter of taste but it does muddy the scenes.
Overall the story is interesting and engaging enough to pull me through. It was clear to me that the author was winging it ont he survival and military aspects but the action and progression of the protagonist made up for it.
There is a lot going on with this story and series and that is what makes it a fun mess. We have the blending of a few genres with future military sci-fi set in dark dieing dystopian world, along with a forced school/bootcamp ridiculously deadly competition and “training” facing a sci-fi/magical maze among other things. Last but not least a progression system is in place that feels a bit tacked on but still solid in its own way. Rodriguez's first story of the series is appropriate for older young adults as it does contain a good amount of foul language, actions, humor, some romance and gore.
I like a good long story and this one is a day or two read. The pacing is steady after a rough start pulling you through to keep you interested. The world building is strong at points letting the reader get the feel of a dying world set in the future. The mega weather that at times is magical it seems adds an interesting detail from the very start. The first few chapters throw a lot at the reader and there are plenty of questions that rise from it and through the story that the Author brings up through the work but leaves the reader wanting for answers.
I can see that Rodriguez has a plan and is not going to rush it. It makes the story all the more interesting and frustrating given how much is packed into. There is a lot of “cool” factor to go around but at the same time the scope of the story is a bit of a stumbling block but not one that would prevent me from rereading the story in the future. The time scale is a bit too short for what is done, as well as lack of gun discipline and sensible survival skills. The latter threw me off when the protagonist twirled a monder gun in his hand randomly after picking it up but what was worst is the survival advice of “cut cactus open to get water in the desert advice.” It's a good way to get a bad trip and poison/dehydrate yourself.
Rodriguez does write long scenes and sequences where the main protag is with a group of people side characters plus extras. Its not bad but he tends to forget about the extras for long periods of time a glance mentioning of them. When that are mentioned again, or for the first time in a long scent it feels out of place. Several times I was like where are they or where did they come from. All in all it might be a matter of taste but it does muddy the scenes.
Overall the story is interesting and engaging enough to pull me through. It was clear to me that the author was winging it ont he survival and military aspects but the action and progression of the protagonist made up for it.
February 23, 2025
BOOK 1 - 50% DNF
Was really enjoying this book until it got to the maze. Getting the best 10000 members of humanity and then making them play Russian roulette just did not make sense, totally broke the immersion and then all the flaws you have been ignoring up to now, keep distracting you.
Really good premise let down by poor plot planning, nothing lines up or makes sense.
Whiney main character doesn't help.
I stopped when he volunteered to carry someone through the obstacle course, dont get why he had to do it on his own without any help when the author had emphasised the value of teamwork in this process.
The injured person had a sprained ankle so could do their own pull ups but for some reason is not allowed to by instructors making up rules that make no sense.
Now the main character could only do 1 pull up 1 week ago but we are meant to believe they can now do 15 with someone on their back!!
What is the point of writing all the training in when the MC can just magically have the strength when they need it??
Was really enjoying this book until it got to the maze. Getting the best 10000 members of humanity and then making them play Russian roulette just did not make sense, totally broke the immersion and then all the flaws you have been ignoring up to now, keep distracting you.
Really good premise let down by poor plot planning, nothing lines up or makes sense.
Whiney main character doesn't help.
I stopped when he volunteered to carry someone through the obstacle course, dont get why he had to do it on his own without any help when the author had emphasised the value of teamwork in this process.
The injured person had a sprained ankle so could do their own pull ups but for some reason is not allowed to by instructors making up rules that make no sense.
Now the main character could only do 1 pull up 1 week ago but we are meant to believe they can now do 15 with someone on their back!!
What is the point of writing all the training in when the MC can just magically have the strength when they need it??
December 31, 2022
Book one
While the story is interesting it's the mc's mentality that keeps me from rating this higher, that and I was left wanting when it comes to a big payoff.
Throughout this very well written and edited book the MC bounced back and forth from a can do attitude to feeling guilty about every single death. He also lacks the ability to put an enemy that was going out of his way to kill him, down for good.
I get that the author is trying to make the MC out to be the very best of us, but without the willingness to put an enemy down, the MC is just leaving everything to chance.
One day the MC will let an enemy live and it will come back to cost him big time.
We also get little hints of a power throughout this book. Again the MC spent most of the time thinking that he was imagining it. We don't get any real explanation before the story ends.
6/10
While the story is interesting it's the mc's mentality that keeps me from rating this higher, that and I was left wanting when it comes to a big payoff.
Throughout this very well written and edited book the MC bounced back and forth from a can do attitude to feeling guilty about every single death. He also lacks the ability to put an enemy that was going out of his way to kill him, down for good.
I get that the author is trying to make the MC out to be the very best of us, but without the willingness to put an enemy down, the MC is just leaving everything to chance.
One day the MC will let an enemy live and it will come back to cost him big time.
We also get little hints of a power throughout this book. Again the MC spent most of the time thinking that he was imagining it. We don't get any real explanation before the story ends.
6/10
March 19, 2025
Could not finish. Dumbest boot camp ever
I really tried, but i could not get past 40%.
These are supposedly top recruits, going through a boot camp to save the world, where the instructors actively try to kill them.
Obstacle corses where people fall to their deaths because they are shot at with water cannons and rubber bullets, and a "maze" with random moving walls, arrow traps, and clumpy hallways out of Galexy Quest. None of which require skill to traverse, but random luck, or you die. If they are training so few people that are needed to save the world, why would you randomly kill them off? There is no need to kill them, at all, unless you want to kill random people.
I was hoping to get to some real action and superpowers, but I could not stand the stupidity of it all. Do not recommend.
I really tried, but i could not get past 40%.
These are supposedly top recruits, going through a boot camp to save the world, where the instructors actively try to kill them.
Obstacle corses where people fall to their deaths because they are shot at with water cannons and rubber bullets, and a "maze" with random moving walls, arrow traps, and clumpy hallways out of Galexy Quest. None of which require skill to traverse, but random luck, or you die. If they are training so few people that are needed to save the world, why would you randomly kill them off? There is no need to kill them, at all, unless you want to kill random people.
I was hoping to get to some real action and superpowers, but I could not stand the stupidity of it all. Do not recommend.
January 21, 2023
Good, if a little frustrating
So the book is pretty good, there’s some nice character interaction, an interesting premise to the story, and a likeable/hateable antagonist. But it’s also a little frustrating, because we go through the whole book and Gabriel has these mysterious powers, and we get next to no explanation. We can guess it’s genetic given an early comment, but beyond that all we see are a few status updates from his monitoring band, and some snippets through conversation. It’s really enough to drive you crazy! I like it enough that I’m off to book 2, but I swear if this one doesn’t deliver some goods then I’m out. Lol
So the book is pretty good, there’s some nice character interaction, an interesting premise to the story, and a likeable/hateable antagonist. But it’s also a little frustrating, because we go through the whole book and Gabriel has these mysterious powers, and we get next to no explanation. We can guess it’s genetic given an early comment, but beyond that all we see are a few status updates from his monitoring band, and some snippets through conversation. It’s really enough to drive you crazy! I like it enough that I’m off to book 2, but I swear if this one doesn’t deliver some goods then I’m out. Lol
April 8, 2025
Who doesn't like an underdog?
Were there some editing errors and misspelled words here and there? Yes, but not enough to pull you out of the story unless you're grading the grammar. Was the story entertaining and fast-paced? Absolutely! Were the characters well written and varied? Yep! Were there some obvious tropes within the writing. Yes, there were, but they were delivered with some great tension. I bought this book at about 10pm and finished it in less than 24 hours. When I couldn't keep my eyes open
Were there some editing errors and misspelled words here and there? Yes, but not enough to pull you out of the story unless you're grading the grammar. Was the story entertaining and fast-paced? Absolutely! Were the characters well written and varied? Yep! Were there some obvious tropes within the writing. Yes, there were, but they were delivered with some great tension. I bought this book at about 10pm and finished it in less than 24 hours. When I couldn't keep my eyes open
June 25, 2023
ok but slow
2.5. Nothing directly bad, but from the cover art and blurb I was expecting more use of magic which is barely there. By the end of the book there is no real idea of what powers the MC has, how to use them, how he got them, and he never uses them to a significant degree. I suspect all this is flushed out in later books but it’s moving too slow with no real reward for me. Will not continue.
2.5. Nothing directly bad, but from the cover art and blurb I was expecting more use of magic which is barely there. By the end of the book there is no real idea of what powers the MC has, how to use them, how he got them, and he never uses them to a significant degree. I suspect all this is flushed out in later books but it’s moving too slow with no real reward for me. Will not continue.
January 23, 2025
I thought this book was fine, I had some issues with feeling like the books description was a small bait and switch. The book is mostly a big training arc which can be good but I felt like we got very little feeling of success from the progression and we got very little in the way of actual feeling of progression. Its a solid book overall and well done but i often felt frustrated by what was happening in the book and what the main character was doing.
June 1, 2023
Needed more editing
It started and ended well, but the (overly long) middle was quite a slog. Also a bit too much cartoon level villainy. It seems a bit misleading to call this "progression fantasy" when it's just "progression". There are maybe two paragraphs worth of references to the supernatural in a sea of seemingly pointless violence.
It started and ended well, but the (overly long) middle was quite a slog. Also a bit too much cartoon level villainy. It seems a bit misleading to call this "progression fantasy" when it's just "progression". There are maybe two paragraphs worth of references to the supernatural in a sea of seemingly pointless violence.
August 16, 2021
An interesting book
This book has an intriguing storyline that has the potential to become a good series. With interesting characters and an intriguing storyline it is well worth reading
This book has an intriguing storyline that has the potential to become a good series. With interesting characters and an intriguing storyline it is well worth reading
June 30, 2022
Good start but could use some tweaks.
I enjoyed the story and the world. I feel that the MC is an idiot sometimes when he has proved to be smarter but it just be me. Overall a great start to an awesome adventure. Looking forward to the next one.
I enjoyed the story and the world. I feel that the MC is an idiot sometimes when he has proved to be smarter but it just be me. Overall a great start to an awesome adventure. Looking forward to the next one.
July 2, 2023
Nice Start!
Overall good story. A lot of character building so I found some parts a little slower than others. Good action throughout the book that helped the pace. Will definitely check out the next one.
Overall good story. A lot of character building so I found some parts a little slower than others. Good action throughout the book that helped the pace. Will definitely check out the next one.
March 6, 2024
Intense story
This was a really fresh take on the LitRPG genre. I enjoyed it. The progression felt very natural. Also, the action was excellent and I found myself quite intrigued by the setting. Looking forward to the next book!
This was a really fresh take on the LitRPG genre. I enjoyed it. The progression felt very natural. Also, the action was excellent and I found myself quite intrigued by the setting. Looking forward to the next book!
April 16, 2024
4 chapters in and I'm already looking for a blade for my wrists.
Authors forget that are a billions of books and they first few chapters need to convince the readers to spend a few hours with their characters in their world.
Authors forget that are a billions of books and they first few chapters need to convince the readers to spend a few hours with their characters in their world.
July 20, 2024
Hunger games meets armoured core basic training
A little repetitive on some of the major points but kept me turning the page constantly and aggressively. Downloading the next book currently
A little repetitive on some of the major points but kept me turning the page constantly and aggressively. Downloading the next book currently
June 7, 2025
DNF due to significant editing issues
Wrong words, repeated dialogue in the same sentence, drastic shifts in tone, retcons and changes of character knowledge just a few pages apart… this one needed more time to bake.
Wrong words, repeated dialogue in the same sentence, drastic shifts in tone, retcons and changes of character knowledge just a few pages apart… this one needed more time to bake.
May 2, 2021
Very good read! Full of well developed characters with good interaction, a great storyline, some unexpected twists in the plot. Hopefully this may be the first n a series...!
May 11, 2021
Outstanding story
But I absolutely hate cliffhanger endings. If all the books end that way I'll be ticked. But the story and cheractors are great.
But I absolutely hate cliffhanger endings. If all the books end that way I'll be ticked. But the story and cheractors are great.
April 13, 2022
nice read
Enjoyed the read. Was something different than the usual and I would pick up the next one I. The series when it comes out
Enjoyed the read. Was something different than the usual and I would pick up the next one I. The series when it comes out
May 9, 2022
Brutal training!!
This is the toughest training I've ever read. As bad as it is, they have to be testing for luck, also.
This is the toughest training I've ever read. As bad as it is, they have to be testing for luck, also.
May 23, 2023
I just finished book one. Seemed like a cross between maze runner and blade runner.
Highly recommended.
5 ⭐️. Looking forward to reading the rest. Good amount of stats. Not clunky.
Highly recommended.
5 ⭐️. Looking forward to reading the rest. Good amount of stats. Not clunky.
July 22, 2023
Woops
Training of Any recruit doesn't kill them, that's why it's called training. Not quite believable....So maybe take a visit to a training facility...
Training of Any recruit doesn't kill them, that's why it's called training. Not quite believable....So maybe take a visit to a training facility...
February 17, 2025
Depressing
The main character in this book was to dumb and depressing!! I tried to give it a chance but it wasn't that good!
The main character in this book was to dumb and depressing!! I tried to give it a chance but it wasn't that good!
Want to read
April 21, 2025Hoopla
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